Roger Ailes on Megyn Kelly: ‘We’d love her to stay here and be even a bigger star’

Megyn Kelly, who, on election night famously strolled down a 12th floor hallway at Fox News to confront the decision desk, will have a decision of her own to make soon. Kelly’s contract with Fox News comes up next year. She currently hosts the two-hour afternoon show “America Live” but — as any ambitious anchor would — has her sites set on bigger things. The man who will be on the other end of negotiations is Fox News chief Roger Ailes, who told TVNewser in an interview last week, “A lot of people will try to recruit her,” adding, “I think she wants to stay with Fox News.” Ailes continued:

We have a great relationship. Eventually, we’d love her to stay here and be even a bigger star. So I’m not going to go past that. I’d be stunned if she wanted to go any other cable channel. That’s a real dive off a high cliff. If somebody wanted her to host the “Today” show or something, she’d have to look at that I suppose. Nobody’s ever left here and made it and a lot of people who left other places have done really well here.

Ailes says one of his greatest strengths is working with on air personalities. “I like talent. I respect talent. I teach talent. I understand what I have, what I want to hire them for and try to position their careers properly. And I think they know that and they know that I will back them as talent which is important.”